Operation of a motor vehicle requires a driver to be aware of multiple external factors, such as objects. Urban or city driving involves many varied and complex driving situations. City drivers are alert to other vehicles, buses, delivery trucks, bicyclists, pedestrians, parked cars, one-way streets, and various other factors. The presence of these various factors induces sudden changes to the driving environment and can make city driving challenging. Some examples of complexities associated with city traffic include: vehicles exiting parking structures; traffic coming from an alley way; vehicles that are parked/stationary; vehicles blocking the view of other traffic or pedestrians; pedestrians entering/exiting buses; delivery truck drivers going to-and-from their trucks; vehicles stopping suddenly; bicyclists; pedestrians; congested driving environments with intersections spaced close together; stop-and-go traffic; and various other situations.
Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) has been employed for detecting external objects. LIDAR can detect targets directly in front of the vehicle. LIDAR information on the vehicle ahead is utilized to obtain a target range and range rate and determine the possibility of collision. LIDAR employs three beams and has a range capability of zero to ten meters, with an effective detection range of one to eight meters. A horizontal field of view of LIDAR is typically twenty-five to twenty-seven degrees, with a vertical field of approximately seven degrees. A cycle time for LIDAR detection is approximately twenty milliseconds.